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The Register: Free Software Guru Speaks on Patents

"Speaking in London last week, Richard Stallman, founder of GNU,
argued passionately against the legalisation of what he calls
'software idea patents.' The core of Stallman's argument is that if
companies are allowed to patent software ideas, big business will
ride roughshod over the smaller players, and the free software
movement will be effectively strangled.

"This, Stallman warns, is the fate awaiting Europe if the
current draft of the directive on computer implemented inventions
is passed unchanged. He argues that different fields need different
approaches. Patenting might be appropriate for the pharmaceutical
sector, but he believes fervently that it is not appropriate for
software..."